Bookmark



' BOOKMARK Filed 0.ct.- 24, 1946 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNE V Patented Mar. 2, 1948 U IITED S TATES :QFF-l 2,437,074

BOOKMARK Harold Ghapin, Los Angeles, Calif. Application October 24,1945, Serial No. 795.4 2 7 Claims. (01. lie- 119) This invention relatesto bookmarks and deals more particularly with a bookmark removablyattachable to one cover of a book.

An object of the present invention is to provide a bookmark thatcontinuously marks the page being read as the pages of thebook aresuccessively turned.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bookmark as indicatedwhich obviates bending page corners or other mutilating page-markingoperations.

Another object of the invention isto provide a bookmarkwhich-isautomatic inthat the-page of a book is marked for future reading and thebook automatically opens to the marked page.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bookmark as indicated,which is adjustable to obtain desired tension of the page-markingportion of thedev-ice, the adjustability also being eftective to providedesired page-holding tension for books varying insize.

My invention also has iorits objects-to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installedi-n a workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course .of the following description. However, the drawings merelyshow and the following description merely describes embodiments of thepresent invention, which are given by way of illustration or exampleonly.

In the drawings, .likereference.characters designate similar parts inthe several views.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of an open book, showing a bookmarkaccording to the invention in operative position.

Fig. 2 isan endview'thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of an alternate form of bookmark.

The drawing shows a conventional book having front and back covers 6 andI, respectively, the latter enclosing the book pages 8.

As contemplated, the bookmark 9 is removably, yet fixedly, mounted onthe back cover 1. In this instance, it is shown as mounted on the loweredge of said cover I to engage the lower portion of the right page of anopen book although said bookmark, with equal efficacy, may be mounted onthe upper edge of the cover 6 to engage the upper portion of the leftpage.

The bookmark 9 comprises, generally, means In Fig. 3. The tension of thepage-marker J,

2 having removable connection with the back .cover 1, a flexible arm Hextending laterally from .the means It, and a page marker li carriedlb ythe free end of the arm -II and directed toward the means I'll.

In thedrawing, the-means H1 isshown as'a clip comprising spring arms 13and H3 for ready yet firm mounting onthe book cover, as shown. The clipmaybe slipped into place in an endwisemam ner over theedge of the bookcover, ormaybeotherwise removably secured as by'aset'screw, lock device,etc.

T e ar H i Pr e ab mad fla sp stack n a b dvn tape f ii wa fi i ute reend as sh wn- The a m i fireglyee cured to the clip it by soldering,brazing or the like, and is made of-su ch length as to readily exend r mhe cli in a curved di ona gi e iiqn' to the first pages of a closedbook.

Asshown in Fig. 3, thearm H maybe made telescopically adjustable by iormingrsaid arm p f' a fixed portion 55 and a relatively slidable portionl6, the related endsof'said arm portionsbe ing provided with slide loops1'? each frictionally' engaged with a respective arm portion. By meansof this adjustability, .the arm ,II can be variably vtensioned and alsoaccommodate ex,- tremely thick books or .those having relatively largepages.

The page ,marker l2 comprises a length o f. small gauge Wire fixedlyconnected tothe end of the arm H and angularly directed toward the clipl0. Said length of wiremayb-edoubledback at 53, as in Fig. 1, orvterminate in aloop 19,.2 in.

relatively light yet sufiicient to hold a page place by overstandingengagement therewith. The-tensionof the arm H operates to .hold thepages on the-right side of the book, while th e lighter tension of thebook marker t2 yieldingly holds the topmost of said pages so that thelatter can be readily turned. The bottom edge of said topmost pageengages the angularly disposed portion of the page marker l2 and as a.page is turned, said marker is flexed toward the bottom edge of thebook until the page is freed and the marker snaps back to hold the nexttopmost page.

The marker I2 is provided with a bend 20 which readily straightens undernormal pressure on the sides of a closed book but bends to separate abook at the page marked.

By merely closing the book, the page is marked and said page is againreadily found because the marker effects separation of a closed book,automatically.

It will be evident that the present device can be used on books in anyhorizontal, vertical or oblique position, and is effective for musicbooks or the like.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as thepreferred embodiments of my invention, the constructions are, of course,subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope ofmy invention. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to theparticular forms of construction illustrated and described, but desireto avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the scope ofthe appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A bookmark comprising mounting means for separable connection to abook cover, a flat spring arm extending laterally from said means tospan diagonally across the thickness of a number of pages of said book,the flat of said spring arm being arranged in the plane of the bookwhereby the same is flexible only relative to the thickness of the book,and a spring page marker carried by the free end of said arm andangularly directed toward the mounting means, whereby said marker, uponturning the page with which it is engaged, is flexed toward the springarm and snaps back into engagement with the next topmost page.

2. A bookmark comprising mounting means for separable connection to abook cover, a flat spring arm extending laterally from said means tospan diagonally across the thickness of a number of pages of said book,and a spring page markercarried by the free end of said arm andangularly directed toward the mounting means, said marker comprising aspring wire having less spring tension than the spring arm, whereby saidmarker, upon turning the page with which it is engaged, is flexed towardthe spring arm and snaps back into engagement with the next topmostpage.

3. A bookmark comprising mounting means for separable connection to abook cover, a fiat spring arm extending laterally from said means tospan diagonally across the thickness of a number of pages of said book,and a spring page marker carried by the free end of said arm andangularly directed toward the mounting means, said marker comprising aspring wire having less spring tension than the spring arm and formedwith a bend which separates the pages between which the marker isdisposed and which straightens under normal pressure on the sides of thebook when closed.

4, A bookmark comprising mounting means for separable connection to abook cover, a flat spring arm adjustable for length and for variable 4tension and extending laterally from said means to span diagonallyacross the thickness of a number of pages of said book, the flat of saidspring arm being arranged in the plane of the book whereby the same isflexible only relative to the thickness of the book, and a spring pagemarker carried by the free end of said arm and angularly directed towardthe mounting means, whereby said marker, upon turning the page withwhich it is engaged, is flexed toward the spring arm and snaps back intoengagement with the next topmost page.

5. A bookmark comprising mounting means for separable connection to abook cover, a flat spring arm adjustable for length and for variabletension and extending laterally from said means to span diagonallyacross the thickness of a number of pages of said book, and a springpage marker carried by the free end of said arm and angularly directedtoward the mounting means, said marker comprising a spring wire havingless spring tension than the spring arm.

6. A bookmark comprising mounting means for separable connection to abook cover, a flat spring arm adjustable for length and for variabletension and extending laterally from said means to span diagonallyacross the thickness :of a number of pages of said book, and a springpage marker carried by the free end of said arm and angularly directedtoward the mounting means, said marker comprising a spring Wire havingless spring tension than the spring arm and formed with a bend whichseparates the pages between which the marker is disposed and whichstraightens under normal pressure on the sides of the book when closed.

7. In a bookmark a spring arm extending to diagonally span across thethickness of a number of pages of a book, said arm being formed to flex:only relative to the thickness of the book, and a wire member carriedby the free end of the arm and angularly directed toward the other endwhereby the related edge of a page engaged with the wire member, whenbeing turned, displaces the latter in a direction toward the arm.

HAROLD E. CHAPIN.

REFERENCES CITED The f ollowing references are of record in the file ofthis patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,646,291 Horacek Oct. 18, 19272,136,326 Spandorfer Nov. 8, 1938 2,388,736 Germain "Nov. 13, 1945FOREIGN PATENTS Number a Country Date 22,904 Australia May 20, 1930195,756 Great Britain Apr. 9, 1923

